U.S. Pat. No. 4,797,120 discloses a known connector for mounting to a conductive panel and comprising, an insulated signal transmitting contact, an insulated conductive shell and a coupling portion for coupling the shell to the panel. The coupling portion is a device with an electrical filter and is externally secured to an electrical connector without regard to whether the device is within the profile of the connector. U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,982 discloses a capacitive coupling including a conductive clip adapted to the outer profile of an electrical connector and providing a capacitive coupling with multiple conduction paths through capacitor elements held by the clip in pressure engagement with a conductive shell of the connector; the clip further providing a voltage discharge path between the clip and the shell.
A feature of the invention of U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,982 is that the electrical connector is of an outer profile having the same dimensions as that of known connectors without the capacitor elements. By maintaining the same outer dimensions, the connector with the capacitive coupling feature is easily substituted for the standard connector for use in an allotted confined space. Further features of the invention of U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,982 include a conductive clip which is inset along the outer limits of the outer profile of the connector. The clip holds the electrical capacitor elements in pressure engagement against the conductive shell of the connector to provide capacitive coupling of the shell and an external conductive panel contacting the connector. The clip exerts a spring force to maintain pressure engagement of the capacitor elements against the shell despite the force reducing effect of torque applied to the connector, metal creep to relieve stress and other dimensional changes with the passage of time. The structure provides a clip having multiple, spaced apart contact surfaces distributed along the clip to provide distributed electrical coupling paths from the shell through the capacitor elements into a conductive panel contacting the clip. The distributed electrical paths reduce the likelihood of high electrical resistance at the coupling of the connector with the panel. The clip further provides a voltage discharge path between the clip and the shell.